Hanging Tomatoes

[Grow 4 Food]

Every year I plant a couple of tomatoes on my deck. I use a gallon hanging basket. I cut an inch hole in the bottom center of the pot. I wash all the dirt off the roots and insert the roots from the bottom into the pot, so the plant is hanging upside down. It usually produces enough tomaotes from me to pick 3 or 4 a day as I walk by (I am kind of a tomatoe addict). I have done a little bit of research and have discovered that it helps to plant a bean of some type in the top of the pot. I am assuming that this is to put nitrogen in the soil which is for the tomatoe plants to fert. My question is what kind of beans? Are there beans that put out more nitrogen than others? Can they put out to much for the plants and kill them? I have a open rafter cover deck and was thinking that I would do some type of pole bean just so I can watch them grow through the rafters (don't really care for them to eat) just because I think it would look neat. Has anyone ever planted tomatoes like this?

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

We plant beans (and cucumbers and peas) amongst our corn and that seems to help them. We use a cover crop of hairy vetch Vicia villosawhich also helps by bringing nitrogen into the soil. We plant out tomatoes directly in the vetch and never have a problem with *too much* nitrogen.

I'm sure mot beans would work for you but I know Fava beans are usually used as a cover crop in most situations (also planted with others).

I've planted tomatoes in hanging baskets before, mostly just for effect, have never used the bean method though. Might try it!

 

[Crunchie]

Every year I plant a couple of tomatoes on my deck. I use a gallon hanging basket. I cut an inch hole in the bottom center of the pot. I wash all the dirt off the roots and insert the roots from the bottom into the pot, so the plant is hanging upside down. It usually produces enough tomaotes from me to pick 3 or 4 a day as I walk by (I am kind of a tomatoe addict). I have done a little bit of research and have discovered that it helps to plant a bean of some type in the top of the pot. I am assuming that this is to put nitrogen in the soil which is for the tomatoe plants to fert. My question is what kind of beans? Are there beans that put out more nitrogen than others? Can they put out to much for the plants and kill them? I have a open rafter cover deck and was thinking that I would do some type of pole bean just so I can watch them grow through the rafters (don't really care for them to eat) just because I think it would look neat. Has anyone ever planted tomatoes like this?

That sure sounds like a great space-saving idea...what varieties have you used this way? Do you use a container/"patio" type, or just whatever suits your fancy??

 

[Grow 4 Food]

They are hanging out of the bottom of a hanging basket. I have done this for the last four or five years and have always just used cherries of some type. It just looks neat is probably the only reason that I do it. How many times have you seem a tomatoe growing upside down?!?

 

[Texas Fluffy Feet]

Very cool idea! I think the beans on top would be neat just so long as you didn't end up with the vines growing so thick they shaded the tomatoes.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

I added my beans yesterday. I found a package of stringless beans that are suppose to grow beans between 12 and 16 inches long the vine very well. I will have to get some pictures to show progress as things grow.

 

[Crunchie]

I added my beans yesterday. I found a package of stringless beans that are suppose to grow beans between 12 and 16 inches long the vine very well. I will have to get some pictures to show progress as things grow.

Bush or Pole (vining) type beans?

Cool....would love to see pics later on of your progress!!